Method and apparatus for enabling multiple transmission modes in a wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a technique for enabling multiple transmission modes based on control information of different formats.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119

The present application for patent claims benefit of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/144,082, entitled, “A Method and Apparatus forEnabling Multiple Transmission Modes in a Wireless CommunicationSystem,” filed Jan. 12, 2009, assigned to the assignee hereof and herebyexpressly incorporated by reference herein.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related by subject matter to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______, entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLINGMULTIPLE TRANSMISSION MODES BASED ON MULTIPLE SEARCH SPACES” filedherewith and assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to wirelesscommunication and, more particularly, to management of wirelessconnections.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, data, and so on. Thesesystems may be multiple-access systems capable of supportingcommunication with multiple users by sharing the available systemresources (e.g., bandwidth and transmit power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA)systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA) systems, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE)systems and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)systems.

Generally, a wireless multiple-access communication system cansimultaneously support communication for multiple wireless terminals.Each terminal communicates with one or more base stations viatransmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forward link (ordownlink) refers to the communication link from the base stations to theterminals, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communicationlink from the terminals to the base stations. This communication linkmay be established via a single-in-single-out, multiple-in-signal-out ora multiple-in-multiple-out (MIMO) system.

A MIMO system employs multiple (N_(T)) transmit antennas and multiple(N_(R)) receive antennas for data transmission. A MIMO channel formed bythe N_(T) transmit and N_(R) receive antennas may be decomposed intoN_(S) independent channels, which are also referred to as spatialchannels, where N_(S)≦min{N_(T), N_(R)}. Each of the N_(S) independentchannels corresponds to a dimension. The MIMO system can provideimproved performance (e.g., higher throughput and/or greaterreliability) if the additional dimensionalities created by the multipletransmit and receive antennas are utilized.

A MIMO system supports a time division duplex (TDD) and frequencydivision duplex (FDD) systems. In a TDD system, the forward and reverselink transmissions are on the same frequency region so that thereciprocity principle allows the estimation of the forward link channelfrom the reverse link channel. This enables the access point to extracttransmit beamforming gain on the forward link when multiple antennas areavailable at the access point.

In a MIMO system, a wireless terminal may be configured with one ofseveral transmission modes to enable certain features. When a wirelessterminal is configured with Mode 7, it may receive downlink controlinformation (DCI) using two possible DCI formats, namely, format 1A andformat 1. It is currently proposed that each DCI format correspond to acertain transmission scheme. Specifically, DCI format 1A is used whenusing a transmit diversity transmission scheme, and format 1 is used ina beamforming transmission scheme. However, each transmission scheme hasits own advantages and disadvantages. A “Mode 7” configuration intendedto enable a beamforming transmission scheme will improve thedirectionality and performance of a transmission at the cost of possiblechannel feedback inaccuracy and latency, whereas a transmission schemeof transmit diversity may be more robust and still effectively utilizefaded or weak signals.

SUMMARY

Certain aspects provide a method of enabling a transmission scheme in awireless communication system. The method generally includes generatingdownlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI has a formatselected from at least two different DCI formats, setting a value of oneor more bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selected fromat least two transmission schemes, and transmitting the DCI to a deviceto indicate the selected transmissions scheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes a generator configured to generate downlinkcontrol information (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected from atleast two different DCI formats, a circuit configured to set a value ofone or more bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selectedfrom at least two transmission schemes, and a transmitter configured totransmit the DCI to a device to indicate the selected transmissionsscheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes means for generating downlink controlinformation (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected from at leasttwo different DCI formats, means for setting a value of one or more bitsof the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes, and means for transmitting the DCI to a device toindicate the selected transmissions scheme.

Certain aspects provide a computer-program product for wirelesscommunications comprising a computer readable medium having instructionsstored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or moreprocessors. The instructions generally include instructions forgenerating downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI has aformat selected from at least two different DCI formats, instructionsfor setting a value of one or more bits of the DCI to indicate atransmission scheme selected from at least two transmission schemes, andinstructions for transmitting the DCI to a device to indicate theselected transmissions scheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes at least one processor configured togenerate downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI has aformat selected from at least two different DCI formats, set a value ofone or more bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selectedfrom at least two transmission schemes, and transmit the DCI to a deviceto indicate the selected transmissions scheme, and a memory coupled tothe at least one processor.

Certain aspects provide a method of enabling a transmission scheme in awireless communication system. The method generally includes receivingdownlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a format selectedfrom at least two DCI formats, decoding one or more bits of the DCI todetermine a transmission scheme selected from at least two transmissionschemes, and transmitting data using the selected transmission scheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes a receiver configured to receive downlinkcontrol information (DCI), the DCI having a format selected from atleast two DCI formats, a decoder configured to decode one or more bitsof the DCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes, and a transmitter configured to transmit datausing the selected transmission scheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes means for receiving downlink controlinformation (DCI), the DCI having a format selected from at least twoDCI formats, means for decoding one or more bits of the DCI to determinea transmission scheme selected from at least two transmission schemes,and means for transmitting data using the selected transmission scheme.

Certain aspects provide a computer-program product for wirelesscommunications comprising a computer readable medium having instructionsstored thereon, the instructions being executable by one or moreprocessors. The instructions generally include instructions forreceiving downlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a formatselected from at least two DCI formats, instructions for decoding one ormore bits of the DCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from atleast two transmission schemes, and instructions for transmitting datausing the selected transmission scheme.

Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communications. Theapparatus generally includes at least one processor configured toreceive downlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a formatselected from at least two DCI formats, decode one or more bits of theDCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes, and transmit data using the selected transmissionscheme, and a memory coupled to the at least one processor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above-recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description,briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some ofwhich are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted,however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typicalaspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equallyeffective aspects.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system inaccordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example access point and userterminal accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example operation that may be performed by userequipment in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates example components capable of performing theoperations illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A-B depict a conventional format and an example format forwireless communications in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5A-B depict a conventional format and an example format forwireless communications in accordance with certain aspects of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example operation that may be performed by accesspoint in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A illustrates example components capable of performing theoperations illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example operation that may be performed by accessterminal in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7A illustrates example components capable of performing theoperations illustrated in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to any specific structure or function presented throughoutthis disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on theteachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scopeof the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosuredisclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined withany other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intendedto cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. Itshould be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed hereinmay be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary”is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous overother aspects.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure.Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects arementioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited toparticular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of thedisclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different wirelesstechnologies, system configurations, networks, and transmissionprotocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in thefigures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. Thedetailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of thedisclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure beingdefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

An Example Wireless Communication System

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA)networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, etc. The terms“networks” and “systems” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA networkmay implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial RadioAccess (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) andLow Chip Rate (LCR). cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856standards. A TDMA network may implement a radio technology such asGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network mayimplement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11,IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM®, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA and GSM arepart of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). Long TermEvolution (LTE) is an upcoming release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA,E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents from anorganization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). cdma2000is described in documents from an organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies andstandards are known in the art. For clarity, certain aspects of thetechniques are described below for LTE, and LTE terminology is used inmuch of the description below.

Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), whichutilizes single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization isa technique. SC-FDMA has similar performance and essentially the sameoverall complexity as those of OFDMA system. SC-FDMA signal has lowerpeak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) because of its inherent singlecarrier structure. SC-FDMA has drawn great attention, especially in theuplink communications where lower PAPR greatly benefits the mobileterminal in terms of transmit power efficiency. It is currently aworking assumption for uplink multiple access scheme in 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE), or Evolved UTRA.

Referring to FIG. 1, a multiple access wireless communication systemaccording to one embodiment is illustrated. An access point 100 (AP)includes multiple antenna groups, one including 104 and 106, anotherincluding 108 and 110, and an additional including 112 and 114. In FIG.1, only two antennas are shown for each antenna group, however, more orfewer antennas may be utilized for each antenna group. Access terminal116 (AT) is in communication with antennas 112 and 114, where antennas112 and 114 transmit information to access terminal 116 over forwardlink 120 and receive information from access terminal 116 over reverselink 118. Access terminal 122 is in communication with antennas 106 and108, where antennas 106 and 108 transmit information to access terminal122 over forward link 126 and receive information from access terminal122 over reverse link 124. In an FDD system, communication links 118,120, 124 and 126 may use different frequency for communication. Forexample, forward link 120 may use a different frequency then that usedby reverse link 118.

Each group of antennas and/or the area in which they are designed tocommunicate is often referred to as a sector of the access point. In theembodiment, antenna groups each are designed to communicate to accessterminals in a sector of the areas covered by access point 100.

In communication over forward links 120 and 126, the transmittingantennas of access point 100 utilize beamforming in order to improve thesignal-to-noise ratio of forward links for the different accessterminals 116 and 124. Also, an access point using beamforming totransmit to access terminals scattered randomly through its coveragecauses less interference to access terminals in neighboring cells thanan access point transmitting through a single antenna to all its accessterminals.

An access point may be a fixed station used for communicating with theterminals and may also be referred to as an access point, a Node B, orsome other terminology. An access terminal may also be called an accessterminal, user equipment (UE), a wireless communication device,terminal, access terminal or some other terminology.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a transmitter system 210(also known as the access point) and a receiver system 250 (also knownas access terminal) in a MIMO system 200. At the transmitter system 210,traffic data for a number of data streams is provided from a data source212 to a transmit (TX) data processor 214.

In an embodiment, each data stream is transmitted over a respectivetransmit antenna. TX data processor 214 formats, codes, and interleavesthe traffic data for each data stream based on a particular codingscheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot datausing OFDM techniques. The pilot data is typically a known data patternthat is processed in a known manner and may be used at the receiversystem to estimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and codeddata for each data stream is then modulated (i.e., symbol mapped) basedon a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK or M-QAM)selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The datarate, coding and modulation for each data stream may be determined byinstructions performed by processor 230.

The modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a TXMIMO processor 220, which may further process the modulation symbols(e.g., for OFDM). TX MIMO processor 220 then provides N_(T) modulationsymbol streams to N_(T) transmitters (TMTR) 222 a through 222 t. Incertain embodiments, TX MIMO processor 220 applies beamforming weightsto the symbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which thesymbol is being transmitted.

Each transmitter 222 receives and processes a respective symbol streamto provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g.,amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide amodulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. N_(T)modulated signals from transmitters 222 a through 222 t are thentransmitted from N_(T) antennas 224 a through 224 t, respectively.

At receiver system 250, the transmitted modulated signals are receivedby N_(R) antennas 252 a through 252 r and the received signal from eachantenna 252 is provided to a respective receiver (RCVR) 254 a through254 r. Each receiver 254 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, anddownconverts) a respective received signal, digitizes the conditionedsignal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to providea corresponding “received” symbol stream.

An RX data processor 260 then receives and processes the N_(R) receivedsymbol streams from N_(R) receivers 254 based on a particular receiverprocessing technique to provide N_(T) “detected” symbol streams. The RXdata processor 260 then demodulates, de-interleaves and decodes eachdetected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the data stream.The processing by RX data processor 260 is complementary to thatperformed by TX MIMO processor 220 and TX data processor 214 attransmitter system 210.

A processor 270 periodically determines which pre-coding matrix to use(discussed below). Processor 270 formulates a reverse link messagecomprising a matrix index portion and a rank value portion.

The reverse link message may comprise various types of informationregarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. Thereverse link message is then processed by a TX data processor 238, whichalso receives traffic data for a number of data streams from a datasource 236, modulated by a modulator 280, conditioned by transmitters254 a through 254 r, and transmitted back to transmitter system 210.

At transmitter system 210, the modulated signals from receiver system250 are received by antennas 224, conditioned by receivers 222,demodulated by a demodulator 240 and processed by a RX data processor242 to extract the reserve link message transmitted by the receiversystem 250. Processor 230 then determines which pre-coding matrix to usefor determining the beamforming weights then processes the extractedmessage.

In an aspect, logical channels are classified into Control Channels andTraffic Channels. Logical Control Channels comprise Broadcast ControlChannel (BCCH) which is DL channel for broadcasting system controlinformation. Paging Control Channel (PCCH) which is DL channel thattransfers paging information. Multicast Control Channel (MCCH) which isPoint-to-multipoint DL channel used for transmitting MultimediaBroadcast and Multicast Service (MBMS) scheduling and controlinformation for one or several MTCHs. Generally, after establishing RRCconnection this channel is only used by UEs that receive MBMS (Note: oldMCCH+MSCH). Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH) is Point-to-pointbi-directional channel that transmits dedicated control information andused by UEs having an RRC connection. In aspect, Logical TrafficChannels comprise a Dedicated Traffic Channel (DTCH) which isPoint-to-point bi-directional channel, dedicated to one UE, for thetransfer of user information. Also, a Multicast Traffic Channel (MTCH)for Point-to-multipoint DL channel for transmitting traffic data.

In an aspect, Transport Channels are classified into DL and UL. DLTransport Channels comprise a Broadcast Channel (BCH), Downlink SharedData Channel (DL-SDCH) and a Paging Channel (PCH), the PCH for supportof UE power saving (DRX cycle is indicated by the network to the UE),broadcasted over entire cell and mapped to PHY resources which can beused for other control/traffic channels. The UL Transport Channelscomprise a Random Access Channel (RACH), a Request Channel (REQCH), anUplink Shared Data Channel (UL-SDCH) and plurality of PHY channels. ThePHY channels comprise a set of DL channels and UL channels.

The DL PHY channels may comprise, for example, a Common Pilot Channel(CPICH), Synchronization Channel (SCH), Common Control Channel (CCCH),Shared DL Control Channel (SDCCH), Multicast Control Channel (MCCH),Shared UL Assignment Channel (SUACH), Acknowledgement Channel (ACKCH),DL Physical Shared Data Channel (DL-PSDCH), UL Power Control Channel(UPCCH), and a Paging Indicator Channel (PICH), Load Indicator Channel(LICH).

The UL PHY Channels may comprise, for example, a Physical Random AccessChannel (PRACH), Channel Quality Indicator Channel (CQICH),Acknowledgement Channel (ACKCH), Antenna Subset Indicator Channel(ASICH), Shared Request Channel (SREQCH), UL Physical Shared DataChannel (UL-PSDCH) and Broadband Pilot Channel (BPICH).

In an aspect, a channel structure is provided that preserves low PAR (atany given time, the channel is contiguous or uniformly spaced infrequency) properties of a single carrier waveform.

Enabling Multiple Transmission Modes Using Control Information

Certain aspects of the present disclosure may allow a transmissionscheme to be specified. According to certain aspects, transmissionschemes may be specified using different search spaces. For example, aUE may be required to monitor a common search space and a UE-specificsearch space. The UE may be consciously configured to utilize a specifictransmission mode (e.g., mode 7) and use beamforming, most of the time.As a result, according to certain aspects, if a UE receives DL controlinformation (DCI) in the common search space, it will be sent usingtransmit diversity. Otherwise, the DCI may be sent using beamforming.

According to certain aspects, a transmission scheme may be explicitlyindicated when transmitting downlink control information (DCI) incertain formats. According to certain aspects, one or more bits ofconventional DCI formats may be used to specify a transmission scheme tobe used by a receiving entity. The supported transmission scheme may be,for example, either transmit diversity or beamforming.

The transmit diversity scheme may be utilized to achieve robustness, aswell as for a fallback operation. If two or more DCI formats areassociated with the same UE, only one DCI format may comprise theexplicit indication about the transmission scheme. Other DCI formats mayremain unchanged and may be utilized only for indicating the beamformingtransmission scheme.

FIG. 3 illustrates example operations that may be performed, forexample, by an access terminal, to indicate a transmission scheme whenconveying DCI in different search spaces.

The operations begin, at 302, by monitoring a plurality of searchspaces. A search space is a region including a plurality of resourceelements (REs) and common control elements (CCEs). A search space may beclassified as a common search space and an access-terminal-specific (orUE-specific) search space. A common search space may be monitored by allaccess terminals in an area. An access-terminal-specific search spacemay be monitored by at least one access terminal. The common searchspace and the access-terminal-specific search space may overlap eachother. In one embodiment, an access terminal may be required to monitorboth the common search space and the access-terminal specific searchspace.

At 304, the AT receives control information (CI) in one of the pluralityof search spaces. An access terminal may use CI to transport downlink oruplink scheduling information. In one embodiment, an access terminal mayreceive Downlink Control Information (DCI) through a Physical DownlinkControl Channel (PDCCH).

At 306, an access terminal may transmit data using a transmission schemebased on the search space in which the CI was received. In oneembodiment, an access terminal may be configured to use a beamformingtransmission scheme as a default transmission scheme. The accessterminal may transmit data using the transmission scheme of transmitdiversity if the access terminal receives CI in the common search space.Should the access terminal receive CI in another search space, such asin an access-terminal-specific search space, the access terminal mayresume transmitting data using the beamforming transmission scheme.

In one embodiment of the disclosure presently disclosed, a method forenabling different transmission schemes may comprise re-interpreting atleast one or more values in a CI format to indicate a transmissionscheme.

FIGS. 4A and 5A depict formats for downlink control information (DCI).In one embodiment, a format for control information may be suitable foruse in assignments of a downlink shared channel resource when no spatialmultiplexing is used. In another embodiment, a suitable format may be acompact format used for assignment of a downlink shared channel resourcewhen no spatial multiplexing is used. In the illustrated embodiment,formats for control information may be Downlink Control InformationFormat 1A and 1, as depicted in FIGS. 4A and 5A, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 4A, in an embodiment of the disclosure, DCI Format 1Amay comprise several information fields suitable for indicating atransmission scheme. In one embodiment, the 1-bit Localized/DistributedVirtual Resource Block (VRB) Assignment flag, marked at 402, may beused. In one embodiment, the Localized/Distributed VRB Assignment flagmay be set to a first value to indicate a transmit diversitytransmission scheme. Similarly, the Localized/Distributed VRB Assignmentflag may be set to a second value to indicate a beamforming transmissionscheme. In one embodiment, the first value may be equal to zero, whilethe second value may be equal to a defined non-zero value.

It is contemplated that the re-interpretation of an information field ina DCI format may result in loss of flexibility in features. In oneembodiment, re-interpreting the Localized/Distributed VRB Assignmentflag for use in indicating a transmission scheme may lose theflexibility of indicating dynamic switching between localized anddistributed VRB resource allocations. However, such switching may stillbe done using, in one embodiment, a semi-static approach using higherlayer signaling. In another embodiment, a fixed VRB scheme, using eitherlocalized or distributed VRB, can be specified.

FIG. 4B depicts a modified format for DCI, in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure. In one embodiment, a modified DCI Format 1A maycomprise a 1-bit flag for indicating a transmission scheme, marked at404, in place of the 1-bit Localized/Distributed VRB Assignment flag.

Referring to FIG. 5A, in an embodiment of the disclosure, DCI Format 1may comprise several information fields suitable for indicating atransmission scheme. In one embodiment, the Modulation and Coding Schemeinformation field 502A, comprising 5 bits, may be used. Referring toFIG. 5B, in one embodiment, the Modulation and Coding Scheme informationfield may be separated into a Modulation and Coding Scheme informationfield 502B, now comprising 4 bits, and a Transmission Scheme flag 504,comprising 1 bit. The Transmission Scheme flag 504 may be set to a firstvalue to indicate a transmit diversity transmission scheme, and may beset to a second value to indicate a beamforming transmission scheme.

It is contemplated that another information field in a DCI format may beused to indicate a transmission scheme. It is also contemplated that there-interpreted information field may comprise one bit or more. It isfurther contemplated that a plurality of values may be used to indicateat least a transmission scheme and other information relating to thetransmission scheme.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example operation that may be performed by anaccess point to enable multiple transmission modes. The illustratedoperations may be performed by any suitable components, such as the APsdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-2.

The operation 600 begins, at 602, by generating downlink controlinformation (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected at least twoDCI formats. In one embodiment, as described and illustrated in FIGS.4A-B and 5A-B, the format may be selected from at least DCI Format 1 andDCI Format 1A. It is contemplated that other DCI formats, such as DCIformat 0 or DCI format 2, may be suitable.

At 604, an access point may set a value of one or more bits of the DCIto indicate a transmission scheme, the transmission scheme selected fromat least two transmission schemes. In one embodiment, the transmissionschemes available for selection are beamforming and transmit diversity.

At 606, an access point may transmit the DCI to an element, such asanother access point or an access terminal, to indicate the selectedtransmission scheme.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example operation that may be performed by accessterminal to enable multiple transmission modes. The illustratedoperations may be performed by any suitable components, such as the ATsdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 1-2.

The operation 700 begins, at 702, by receiving DCI, the DCI having aformat selected from at least two DCI formats. In one embodiment, theformat may be selected from at least DCI Format 1 and DCI Format 1A.

At 704, an access terminal may decode one or more bits of the DCI todetermine a transmission scheme selected at least two transmissionschemes. As described above, in one embodiment, the transmission schemesmay comprise beamforming and transmit diversity. In one embodiment, anon-null value of one or more bits relating to the Localized/DistributedVRB Resource Flag of the DCI in a DCI Format 1A, as depicted in FIG.4A-B, may indicate a beamforming transmission scheme. Conversely, in oneembodiment, a null value in one or more bits relating to theLocalized/Distributed VRB Resource Flag may indicate a transmitdiversity transmission scheme.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an example of exemplary approaches. Based upondesign preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged while remainingwithin the scope of the present disclosure. The accompanying methodclaims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and arenot meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits and algorithm steps described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processorcan read information from, and write information to, the storage medium.In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor.The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC mayreside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and thestorage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the presentdisclosure. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from thespirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is notintended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to beaccorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow.

1. A method of enabling a transmission scheme in a wirelesscommunication system, the method comprising: generating downlink controlinformation (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected from at leasttwo different DCI formats; setting a value of one or more bits of theDCI to indicate a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes; and transmitting the DCI to a device to indicatethe selected transmissions scheme.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theat least two transmission schemes comprise: beamforming and transmitdiversity.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the setting comprises:setting the one or more bits to a first value to select a beamformingtransmission scheme; and setting the one or more bits to a second valueto select a transmit diversity transmission scheme.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the DCI comprises: one or more bits indicative of ascheme for virtual resource block allocation.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the format selected from the at least two different DCI formatscomprises DCI format 1A.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thetransmission scheme is selected from one of: beamforming and transmitdiversity.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmittingDCI of another format from the at least two different DCI formats toindicate beamforming transmission scheme.
 8. An apparatus for wirelesscommunications, comprising: a generator configured to generate downlinkcontrol information (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected from atleast two different DCI formats; a circuit configured to set a value ofone or more bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selectedfrom at least two transmission schemes; and a transmitter configured totransmit the DCI to a device to indicate the selected transmissionsscheme.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least twotransmission schemes comprise: beamforming and transmit diversity. 10.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the circuit is also configured to: setthe one or more bits to a first value to select a beamformingtransmission scheme; and set the one or more bits to a second value toselect a transmit diversity transmission scheme.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 8, wherein the DCI comprises: one or more bits indicative of ascheme for virtual resource block allocation.
 12. The apparatus of claim8, wherein the format selected from the at least two different DCIformats comprises DCI format 1A.
 13. The apparatus of claim 8, whereinthe transmission scheme is selected from one of: beamforming andtransmit diversity.
 14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein thetransmitter is also configured to transmit DCI of another format fromthe at least two different DCI formats to indicate beamformingtransmission scheme.
 15. An apparatus for wireless communications,comprising: means for generating downlink control information (DCI),wherein the DCI has a format selected from at least two different DCIformats; means for setting a value of one or more bits of the DCI toindicate a transmission scheme selected from at least two transmissionschemes; and means for transmitting the DCI to a device to indicate theselected transmissions scheme.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, whereinthe at least two transmission schemes comprise: beamforming and transmitdiversity.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the means for settingcomprises: means for setting the one or more bits to a first value toselect a beamforming transmission scheme; and means for setting the oneor more bits to a second value to select a transmit diversitytransmission scheme.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the DCIcomprises: one or more bits indicative of a scheme for virtual resourceblock allocation.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the formatselected from the at least two different DCI formats comprises DCIformat 1A.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the transmissionscheme is selected from one of: beamforming and transmit diversity. 21.The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for transmitting is furtherconfigured to transmit DCI of another format from the at least twodifferent DCI formats to indicate beamforming transmission scheme.
 22. Acomputer-program product for wireless communications, comprising acomputer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, theinstructions being executable by one or more processors and theinstructions comprising: instructions for generating downlink controlinformation (DCI), wherein the DCI has a format selected from at leasttwo different DCI formats; instructions for setting a value of one ormore bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selected from atleast two transmission schemes; and instructions for transmitting theDCI to a device to indicate the selected transmissions scheme.
 23. Thecomputer-program product of claim 22, wherein the at least twotransmission schemes comprise: beamforming and transmit diversity. 24.The computer-program product of claim 23, wherein the instructionsfurther comprise: instructions for setting the one or more bits to afirst value to select a beamforming transmission scheme; andinstructions for setting the one or more bits to a second value toselect a transmit diversity transmission scheme.
 25. Thecomputer-program product of claim 22, wherein the DCI comprises: one ormore bits indicative of a scheme for virtual resource block allocation.26. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein the formatselected from the at least two different DCI formats comprises DCIformat 1A.
 27. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein thetransmission scheme is selected from one of: beamforming and transmitdiversity.
 28. The computer-program product of claim 22, wherein theinstructions further comprise: instructions for transmitting DCI ofanother format from the at least two different DCI formats to indicatebeamforming transmission scheme.
 29. An apparatus for wirelesscommunications, comprising: at least one processor configured togenerate downlink control information (DCI), wherein the DCI has aformat selected from at least two different DCI formats, set a value ofone or more bits of the DCI to indicate a transmission scheme selectedfrom at least two transmission schemes, and transmit the DCI to a deviceto indicate the selected transmissions scheme; and a memory coupled tothe at least one processor.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein theat least two transmission schemes comprise: beamforming and transmitdiversity.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the processor isfurther configured to set the one or more bits to a first value toselect a beamforming transmission scheme, and set the one or more bitsto a second value to select a transmit diversity transmission scheme.32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the DCI comprises: one or morebits indicative of a scheme for virtual resource block allocation. 33.The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the format selected from the at leasttwo different DCI formats comprises DCI format 1A.
 34. The apparatus ofclaim 29, wherein the transmission scheme is selected from one of:beamforming and transmit diversity.
 35. The apparatus of claim 29,wherein the processor is further configured to transmit DCI of anotherformat from the at least two different DCI formats to indicatebeamforming transmission scheme.
 36. A method of enabling a transmissionscheme in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:receiving downlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a formatselected from at least two DCI formats; decoding one or more bits of theDCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes; and transmitting data using the selectedtransmission scheme.
 37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:receiving DCI of another format from at least two DCI formats; and inresponse to the DCI of the other format, transmitting data usingbeamforming transmission scheme.
 38. An apparatus for wirelesscommunications, comprising: a receiver configured to receive downlinkcontrol information (DCI), the DCI having a format selected from atleast two DCI formats; a decoder configured to decode one or more bitsof the DCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes; and a transmitter configured to transmit datausing the selected transmission scheme.
 39. The apparatus of claim 38,wherein: the receiver is also configured to receive DCI of anotherformat from at least two DCI formats, and the transmitter is alsoconfigured to, in response to the DCI of the other format, transmit datausing beamforming transmission scheme.
 40. An apparatus for wirelesscommunications, comprising: means for receiving downlink controlinformation (DCI), the DCI having a format selected from at least twoDCI formats; means for decoding one or more bits of the DCI to determinea transmission scheme selected from at least two transmission schemes;and means for transmitting data using the selected transmission scheme.41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein: the means for receiving isfurther configured to receive DCI of another format from at least twoDCI formats, and the means for transmitting is further configured to, inresponse to the DCI of the other format, transmit data using beamformingtransmission scheme.
 42. A computer-program product for wirelesscommunications, comprising a computer readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by one ormore processors and the instructions comprising: instructions forreceiving downlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a formatselected from at least two DCI formats; instructions for decoding one ormore bits of the DCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from atleast two transmission schemes; and instructions for transmitting datausing the selected transmission scheme.
 43. The computer-program productof claim 42, wherein the instructions further comprise: instructions forreceiving DCI of another format from at least two DCI formats; andinstructions for transmitting data in response to the DCI of the otherformat using beamforming transmission scheme.
 44. An apparatus forwireless communications, comprising: at least one processor configuredto receive downlink control information (DCI), the DCI having a formatselected from at least two DCI formats, decode one or more bits of theDCI to determine a transmission scheme selected from at least twotransmission schemes, and transmit data using the selected transmissionscheme; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor.
 45. Theapparatus of claim 44, wherein the processor is further configured toreceive DCI of another format from at least two DCI formats, and inresponse to the DCI of the other format, transmit data using beamformingtransmission scheme.